The World Vs Conrad Ecklie
by The Sarcastic Typo
Summary: When Ecklie is sued by a disgruntled former employee, what surprises are in store for him? Past EcklieGrissom. EcklieOMC.


**Title: **The World Vs. Conrad Ecklie  
**Summary: **When Ecklie is sued by a disgruntled former employee, what surprises - good or bad - are in store for him?  
**Pairing: **Past Ecklie/Grissom, Ecklie/OMC  
**Rating: **PG-13  
**A/N: **Hahaha, holy crap. Reeeeeeeeally long Ecklie fic because I can. Ecklie's too neglected. He needs action too. Thanks to Kelly and Kate for beta'ing. I appreciate it. Please review, let me know if I made Ecklie sympathetic. Thanks!

When Conrad Ecklie saw the formidable-looking man standing outside of his office on Monday morning, he knew it was going to be a bad day.

He was right.

"Conrad Ecklie?" the man asked, his tone somewhere between bored, annoyed, and indifferent.

"Yes, and who is asking?" Conrad replied.

"I'm James Redding, attorney for Jason Landers. This," he indicated an envelope that looked to be full of papers, "is for you."

Conrad took the envelope and opened it, reading the contents. His eyes widened in surprise. "I'm being _sued_? Wrongful termination and... _sexual harassment_? This isn't a joke?"

"I, personally, take sexual harassment lawsuits very seriously, Mr. Ecklie. Good day." The man left.

Ecklie shut his eyes. He could feel the headache starting.

XxXxX

Greg Sanders could be a suck up. Greg had come to terms with this. He could also be very nosy at times. So when he just _happened_ to _glance_ at the legal papers that were so _conveniently_ displayed on Ecklie's desk as he delivered requested results, before he left work for the night, he had to get involved.

"You're being sued? Sexual harassment?" Greg tried not sound amused, but really. Ecklie? Sexual harassment? Who could think of anything more ridiculous?

Ecklie's eyes narrowed. "Yes, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell the entire lab. I'd like to keep this under wraps as long as possible."

"By who?"

"Whom. And none of your business."

"Aw, you can tell me. I'm good at keeping secrets."

"Was there something you needed, Sanders?"

"I was just dropping off the results you requested, but now that I know your legal problem, may I recommend a fantastic attorney? He's a friend of the family."

"If you think I'm going to let someone who's friends with you represent me-"

"Andrew Brackett," Greg interrupted.

Ecklie looked surprised and just the slightest bit impressed. "Didn't he win that case last month? Some woman sued her employer for sexual harassment, and everyone was sure he'd done it, but it was really a set up? If he hadn't found that out, that man would've lost a lot of money."

"He's good."

"I can't believe I'm asking this, but do you have a card?"

"Certainly do, my friend!" Greg chirped as he took out his wallet and handed him a card from it.

Ecklie rolled his eyes, and looked like he was really going to hate what he was about to say next. "Thank you, Sanders," he said grudgingly.

"No problem whatsoever. I like helping out."

Greg left the office, nearly bouncing, and he didn't see Ecklie shake his head at him in mixed exasperation and amusement.

XxXxX

"Hello, Mr. Brackett, I am Conrad Ecklie. We spoke on the phone," Ecklie introduced himself as he entered the lawyer's office. It was a nice building, and the office was friendly, though distinctly impersonal. Andrew Brackett himself had the same feeling. The man was about Ecklie's height, with graying brown hair, and looked to be middle aged. He was a little heavy set, but not terribly overweight by any means. He was tanned - this was Nevada, so it was usually warm - and his eyes were brown. His nose was probably his most prominent feature, not exactly crooked but larger than usual. Andrew Brackett was not altogether the most handsome man Ecklie had seen, but he wasn't the most unfortunate, either.

"Ah, yes, you're here on your lunch break?" At Ecklie's nod, Andrew nodded for him to sit down. "Then we'll make this brief. First of all, you're Greg's boss?"

"Yes, one of them. I'm the Assistant Director of the Las Vegas crime lab." Ecklie wasn't sure if he was saying this to be impressive or merely stating a fact. "Why?"

"Greg likes doing 'favors,' sometimes, for people who control his employment." Andrew smiled.

Ecklie smirked wryly. "It seems that way."

"So what's your problem, precisely - aside from working with Greg?"

Ecklie resisted the urge to chuckle, but allowed himself a small smile. Andrew was certainly likable, and that was odd for Conrad. He rarely liked anyone. _Correction_, he told his brain. _I rarely **allow** myself to like anyone._ "I'm being sued. They alleged I sexually harassed them and then fired them when they didn't comply."

"And did you?"

Ecklie snorted. "No. I'm an asshole, not an idiot."

Andrew nodded, smirking. "I see. And were you avoiding using gender specific terms for a reason?"

So the man was also shrewd. Ecklie should have expected that - he _was_ a lawyer, after all. "Yes," Ecklie replied, sighing. "The person is a man. His name is Jason Landers. He worked at the crime lab last year, but I fired him after he contaminated two crime scenes and I found out he'd cheated on his proficiency test. He was incompetent."

"And yet he has reason to believe this would work."

"If that's lawyer speak for, 'Are you gay?' then the answer is yes. Although Jason would have absolutely no way of knowing that." Ecklie shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "I'm not the most open of people, especially at the office."

"You don't say." The voice was dry, but not entirely mocking. "Well, Mr. Ecklie, as it turns out, I've decided to take your case. We'll have to schedule another meeting soon so we can go over the details more thoroughly, of course."

Ecklie nodded. "Certainly, and there is also the issue of payment-"

Andrew put up a hand to stop him. "I'm a close friend of Greg's family. I'm doing this pro-bono."

Ecklie rolled his eyes. "The Assistant Director of the Las Vegas crime lab being sued for sexual harassment is bound to be covered quite a bit, don't you think? You just want more publicity."

"You're smart."

"I'm used to the bullshit."

Andrew nodded slowly, looking as if he was appraising or admiring an aspect of Ecklie he had previously missed. It made Ecklie feel weird. "How about we meet back here, after your shift is over, to discuss this further?"

"Yes, that will be fine. I get off work at four, so I should drop by around four-thirty?"

"That will be fine. Goodbye, Mr. Ecklie."

XxXxX

The day was excruciatingly long. He'd made a call to the sheriff, to let him know about this mess. The man was upset about the PR nightmare it would be, and Ecklie rolled his eyes while assuring him he'd take care of it. He'd lost most of his faith in him the day that Nick had been kidnapped and buried alive. _Get them ready for a funeral_, he'd said. He hadn't even entertained the possibility that they'd rescue Nick, and he seemed far more concerned with how it looked to the public than with that fact. Not even Conrad Ecklie, the man known far and wide for being heartless, was _that_ uncaring.

Finally, his shift ended, and he got in his car. He stopped at his place to change his clothes before heading to Andrew Brackett's office once more. He told himself that this had nothing to do with feeling inadequate in his work suit next to the man with the hundred dollar clothes, and had everything to do with the fact that he wanted to be comfortable and look professional.

Ecklie had never been good at lying to himself.

"Good evening, Mr. Ecklie," Andrew greeted him once he entered the man's office for the second time that day.

"It's Conrad, since we're going to be working together for awhile," Ecklie replied, sitting down in the chair he'd occupied earlier.

"Yes, true. Call me Andrew." Andrew nodded. "Now, down to business. You said you fired this Landers fellow for incompetence?"

"Yes, he contaminated two crime scenes. The first time I let him off with a warning, because it had been small enough and he was new. When he screwed up again, though, it nearly destroyed our case, and that's when I checked into his records. I found out through some investigating that he'd cheated on his proficiency and fired him immediately. He was, as most people would be, pissed." Ecklie smirked. "I told him he was lucky I wasn't having him arrested for fraud."

Andrew smiled a little. "I'm sure that scared him a little."

"He didn't like me much, now that I remember." Ecklie paused. "Well, not that many people ever like me, but him more so than others."

"And you have no idea how he might have found out about your sexual orientation?"

"I had just ended a relationship around that time. He was moving some of his things out of my place. Maybe he had an occasion to drive by my house? I don't know. I certainly didn't tell him, and he'd have to know to do this, unless he's just guessing? After all, how do you really prove your sexual orientation?"

"Good point," Andrew conceded. "But didn't you say he was incompetent? This sounds rather clever."

"I didn't say he wasn't cunning. He hid the fact that he'd cheated very well. He was just incompetent at being a CSI."

"So, back to your working relationship, you said he didn't like you much?"

"Not at all. He often glared at me for no reason. I'm not exactly a stranger to glares - not many of the people I work with like me much; I wasn't lying when I said I was an asshole - but these came a lot more frequently and at times when I hadn't really done anything. It was bizarre. He also seemed reluctant to follow any orders that came from me. I don't know what his problem was."

"Could it be possible that this man already knew of your sexual orientation and had some sort of problem with it? Or found about it shortly after being hired?"

"Which would then beg the question as to _how_. I don't drape rainbow flags around myself and go skipping down the corridors."

Andrew had to fight back a laugh at that image. "That would certainly liven things up a bit, I'm sure." The glare Ecklie shot him didn't attenuate his amusement. "Who was your partner at the time? The one you said you ended with things with?"

Here, Ecklie hesitated. "He wouldn't have told anyone. He's even more closed off than me."

"Conrad, it might be important. It could help us determine how our esteemed Mr. Landers found out enough about you to sue you."

"He's a colleague. It's... complicated."

Andrew was slightly exasperated. "I promise we'll keep his name out of it if that's at all possible, all right?"

"Gilbert Grissom."

XxXxX

If it were physically possible, Andrew's jaw would've dropped to the ground. "_The_ Gilbert Grissom? The entomologist?"

"The one and the same."

"You work with him."

"Yes. Everyone around the office assumed we hated each other - and we did, for awhile. But then it changed. We still kept up the facade at work, though, and eventually I got tired of it. He hadn't. We still act like we don't get along, although it's less intense than before. He's still a friend. We both understood that we couldn't give the other what they wanted." Ecklie paused. "Now this can't come out. I don't care about anyone knowing _my_ orientation, because I've never actively tried to hide it. It's just never something that really comes up in conversation. Gil, though, is strange about things like this. He'd never forgive me."

"All right. We'll try to keep it under wraps, although this might be how Mr. Landers discovered your orientation. He might have seen you two together outside of work and put two and two together. It doesn't take a certified CSI to do that."

Ecklie rolled his eyes. "I suppose not." He pursed his lips. "But if there's anyway to avoid mentioning it, I want to."

Andrew raised an eyebrow. "You still care about this man?"

Sighing, Ecklie nodded. "Yes, I guess I do." He shook his head and chuckled bitterly. "Not that anyone who knows me would suspect me of being capable of it."

Andrew decided to ignore the personal comment half because he wasn't precisely sure how to respond and half because comments of that nature made him a little uncomfortable. He didn't think Conrad Ecklie was that bad of a person, from the little he knew of him, but he was certain this man had many issues he hadn't dealt with. "Does anyone else you work with know of your past relationship with Dr. Grissom?"

"I think Catherine Willows might have figured it out at some point. She kept alternating between staring at me curiously or glaring at me in those last few months. It was a little unsettling."

"Then I may need to speak with her about this and see if you and Dr. Grissom might have done something to give away a secret you hadn't intended to give away."

"I'm not entirely sure she knew, and if she didn't, I don't want to tell her."

"Would Dr. Grissom know?"

"Ah, probably. She'd have confronted him about it."

"Ask him, then, please, and if she did know, I need to talk to her. If _she_ noticed, then it's possible Mr. Landers did."

"Yes, but Willows is a good CSI. Landers wasn't even close."

"That's a good point. Oh, it's five-thirty, already. Are you hungry? I'm famished and I don't think we're done just yet."

"I am a little hungry. I don't suppose you order take out?"

Andrew grinned. "Don't let the expensive suit fool you. I practically live on the stuff."

"Well, that's one thing we have in common."

"Work-a-holics everywhere have that in common."

By Ecklie's lack of response, Andrew knew he'd hit the nail on the head in regards to Conrad Ecklie's personal life. It's not like he was much different. Throwing yourself into your work was a lot easier than dealing with an empty house at the end of the day. "Well, I'll order food and then we'll continue discussing this."

"That's fine."

XxXxX

Ecklie should have known.

At six o'clock, Andrew had turned on the news. One of the top stories? "Assistant Director of the last Vegas crime lab, Conrad Ecklie, is being sued for wrongful termination and sexual harassment. The man complaining, Jason Landers, alleges that Mr. Ecklie made advances and then fired him when he wouldn't comply. So far, Mr. Ecklie has yet to make any statements to the press. We'll give you updates on this story as it progresses."

"Oh, delightful," Ecklie murmured sarcastically.

"I know you're not surprised."

"No, of course not. I knew it'd make the news sooner or later. I just didn't want it to." Ecklie sighed. "Now I have to give a statement to them and handle all the bad PR. My job is going to be _hell_ for the next month or so."

"Probably." Andrew nodded, and Ecklie nearly laughed out loud at the matter-of-fact tone it was stated in. Well, at least he had chosen a lawyer who wouldn't try to bullshit him. "Anyway, is there anyone else who can verify that Mr. Landers' character wasn't top notch?"

"Doubtful. At least, not anyone who worked on day shift with him. He was a charming man. Everyone liked him."

"Did anyone from the other shifts know him?"

Ecklie thought for a moment. "Actually, I believe I saw Willows talk to him once. Anyone else, though, I don't think so."

"All right. Well, then, I'll definitely need to speak with her. If not about you and Dr. Grissom, then about Mr. Landers."

Ecklie was still a little uneasy about the former. Catherine Willows probably had known. She wasn't a stupid woman. Ecklie just wasn't sure he wanted to bring it all back up, especially since her friend and he were no longer together. "When should you talk to her?"

"Let me know if I can ask her about you and Dr. Grissom as soon as possible. Best case would be tomorrow, so I can be prepared as much as possible. I also would like to deal with the press tomorrow, or as soon as possible. Could that be arranged?"

"I'll talk to the sheriff, let him know that I intend to give a statement to them about the situation. I have to say _something_ or it'll look like I'm hiding."

"Quite true. You've obviously dealt with them before, so I don't have to go over that with you."

"Not at all," Ecklie confirmed.

"I'll also contact Mr. Landers' attorney. I'll have to speak to them about how much they're seeking. I would also like to gauge how confident they are with this case. If they want to settle right away, then we've got them. If not, they may have some tricks up their sleeves."

"I would count on the tricks. Nothing in my life ever takes the simple route."

Andrew shook his head, looking sympathetic. "Well, I suppose that's all we can cover for today. I'll see you tomorrow, Conrad."

They shook hands. "Good night, Andrew."

XxXxX

To say that Conrad Ecklie was slightly dreading speaking to Grissom about this whole thing would be a supreme understatement. It was about an hour before the end of the graveyard shift, and he headed to Grissom's office.

"Conrad." Grissom's voice was curious, with a barely-there iota of concern. No one else would have picked up on it.

"Gil," he responded, closing Gil's office door. "I need to ask you about something."

"Yes?" Grissom tilted his head ever-so-slightly in curiosity.

"A few months before... we ended things, did Catherine Willows find out about us?"

Grissom looked mildly surprised at the question. "She did. She came to me to ask or confront me about it. I never figured out which."

Ecklie sighed. "All right then. Thank you."

"Why did you need to know?"

"I assume you heard about the lawsuit?"

"Never assume. But yes, I did."

Ecklie rolled his eyes. "Yes, well my attorney believes if she figured it out, so might have Landers."

"You don't think so?"

"It took Willows a year, and she knows you personally. How could someone who wasn't even certified to be a CSI figure it out within days?"

"Good question." Grissom paused, looking unsure if he should say what he was about to. "How are you... handling this, Conrad?"

"As well as can be expected, I suppose. The PR is going to be hell, though, and I'm sure about half the lab thinks I really did it. I mean, I'm the resident asshole around here."

"I'd tell you to have more faith in people, but..."

"We both know that's not something to count on."

"Exactly. Good luck, Conrad. And for what it's worth, I don't believe you would ever do something like that."

Ecklie smiled weakly. "Thank you, Gil." He left Gil's office. Well, at least that had been less painful than he'd imagined. He called Andrew.

"Yes, I just talked to him. Graveyard shift ends in about fifty minutes, so if you want to speak to her today, you may want to come now. I can find her and have her wait for you here. All right." Closing his phone and putting it in his pocket, he went off in search of Catherine Willows.

XxXxX

Ecklie found Catherine in the lab, talking to Hodges. "Catherine? I need to speak with you whenever you're done here."

"About?"

Ecklie glanced at Hodges. "It's not something I can discuss here."

"Obviously it's got something to do with the sexual harassment case all over the news," Hodges spoke up. "Maybe he needs a character witness."

Catherine rolled her eyes. "I'm done here, anyway. Let's go." Once they were out of Hodges' earshot, Catherine asked. "What is this about? _Does_ it have something to do with that suit?"

"Not here," Ecklie replied, leading her to his office. Once he'd shut the door, he answered her question. "Yes, it does. My lawyer wants to speak to you about two things - Gil and I, and Landers."

"You know I knew?"

"Now I do. I suspected, at the time, but I just asked Gil for confirmation. My attorney wants to make sure that neither Gil nor I did anything to 'give us away,' so to speak. And I also believe I saw you talking to Landers once?"

Catherine made a face. "Yes. He made some lewd comment and I told him to watch it." She stopped for a moment, looking like she was thinking. "I can't remember if you and Gil did anything to tip me off. It was more just woman's intuition and then Lindsey calling his house once and 'some other guy' answering, who I assumed was you, and which Gil confirmed when I confronted him. I was slightly pissed he hadn't told me. And confused. You and Gil never seemed to get along."

"I guess things aren't always what they seem."

Catherine stared. "O-kay, _that_ was odd."

"What?"

"You just sounded like him."

"It's hard to know him personally and not have that happen, which I'm sure you know."

"Yes." Catherine was quiet, looking as though she wanted to say something, but was unsure as how to say it. "I think Gil was wrong, by the way. About how it ended. I think you had a point."

Ecklie smiled ever so slightly. "It doesn't matter. We wouldn't have lasted, anyway. If it hadn't been that, it would have been something else."

Just then, a knock came at the door. Ecklie opened it to reveal Andrew. "Hello. This is Catherine Willows," Ecklie introduced. "And this is my attorney, Andrew Brackett," he said to Catherine.

Andrew shook her hand and greeted her. "I just have to ask you a couple questions."

XxXxX

After Andrew had gotten his answers, Ecklie set up a meeting with a few people from the press to make a statement. "I think the charge is ridiculous," Ecklie started. "I am a professional man. Mr. Landers was fired for purely legitimate reasons."

"But you don't deny that you are, in fact, gay?"

"What were the reasons he was fired?"

"Do you plan to fight this to the end?"

"Mr. Ecklie's sexual orientation is his business alone. He did not sexually harass Mr. Landers. He was fired due to gross incompetence and we shall definitely fight this. That's all for today," Andrew finished. The reporters wrote down their information eagerly before taking off. Ecklie shook his head. Every day they got more and more vulture-like. It was kind of eerie.

XxXxX

It was the start of the graveyard shift, and Ecklie had long gone home. Sara Sidle made her way to the break room to receive her assignment for the night when she ran into Greg - literally.

"Sorry," she told him.

"I never mind running into you," Greg flirted and Sara rolled her eyes.

"Hey, Greg, did you catch the news today?"

"The thing about Ecklie? Yeah, I'm the one who recommended his attorney. Andrew Brackett is a friend of the family."

"Oh? So you don't think Ecklie did it?"

"Ecklie? Nah. I've never thought about Ecklie having sexual thoughts, before, though, you know?"

Sara shuddered. "I don't _want_ to think about Ecklie having sexual thoughts."

Greg laughed. "Good point. But it seems too risky for it to be something Ecklie would do. I don't think he's all that bad." Sara gave him a look and he hastened to explain. "I mean, he's an asshole, but he's not evil. Evil is what we're fighting against, y'know? And he's on our side. That's something, right? Besides, we don't know much about the man. Maybe he adopts stray puppies and kittens in his off-hours."

Sara had to chuckle at the image of Ecklie surrounded by kittens or puppies. "I suppose you're right, Greg. Come on, we should get to the break room for assignments."

XxXxX

The first court appearance had been set for today - Thursday. Andrew knew that Jason and his attorney had something, because they hadn't seemed interested in settling at _all_. He just wondered what it was, because there was no way it was good.

He was right.

"_Social phobia_?" Ecklie asked him incredulously after the court recessed for the day. "How did he come up with _that_?"

"Well, some people say it can develop after a bad occupational situation. It's marked by low self-esteem and not wanting to be around other people. Sometimes, when people are sexually harassed, it happens," Andrew explained.

Ecklie shook his head in disbelief. "Yes, but he _wasn't_ sexually harassed."

"You can't prove or disprove such a problem, I'm afraid. It's pretty much diagnosed based on symptoms, and if someone read up on it, I'm sure if they had some talent at acting they could pretend to have it."

"Great. Now I'm not only the lecherous old man who hits on random men at work, then fires them, but also gives them social disorders."

Andrew chuckled quietly. He had the grace to feel a little guilty at Ecklie's pointed look. "I'm sorry, but the way you said that..." he shook his head and trailed off. " Let me go over the transcripts for today. I'll look over exactly what his lawyer said. We'll eventually need Ms. Willows to testify that Mr. Landers isn't exactly innocent, but the plaintiff presents their case first."

Ecklie frowned. "But she's one person. I'm sure there are tons more people he could find to say how much of an asshole I am."

"Being an asshole doesn't mean you sexually harass your employees."

"Most people don't care. They just see this poor, young, good-looking man who has this 'social phobia' because the evil, asshole, dirty old man hit on him and then fired him when he refused him. It doesn't matter what really happened."

Andrew looked a little startled at the cynicism. There was a dark side to Conrad Ecklie. "Come on, let's go get something to eat. Food helps."

"Sure." Andrew ignored the fact that he was a little worried about how Conrad didn't sound very enthused.

XxXxX

The expert witnesses describing Jason's "condition" were not few and far between. There were at least six of them, all with varying degrees in psychology. It was obvious that this man had done his homework. They took nearly two weeks to finish with those. Then, there had come the barrage of character witnesses - either defending Jason's character or criticizing Ecklie's. That had taken another week, and there was just one more plaintiff witness to go - Jason himself. After that, it would be the defense's turn.

So far, they didn't have much. Jason hadn't seemed to screw up anywhere in his presentation. Ecklie knew that Andrew hoped he could discredit Jason on cross the next day, but if not, Conrad and Andrew had to come up with something really good or it was very possible that were going to lose. Ecklie had never been an optimistic person and he didn't intend to start now.

All they had were their own psychological experts, and those ones canceled the others out, Catherine, and the two people who remembered that Jason had contaminated the crime scene a year ago. Andrew and Conrad had tried to track down the man who had sold Jason the proficiency answers, but the search had reached a dead end.

On top of things, Ecklie was struggling with himself. In the short amount of time Ecklie had known Andrew, they had become friends. The man was smart, sarcastic, and completely honest - to Conrad, at any rate. The man could bullshit like the best of him, but his comments were always frank with Conrad, something he appreciated.

At first he had thought his feelings stopped at friendship. That was all he'd let himself believe, anyway. But as he sat in a restaurant eating dinner with Andrew for the seventh time that week, he couldn't lie to himself any longer.

Conrad Ecklie was very attracted to Andrew Brackett. He cursed himself. Why did he make things difficult?

"...and there has to be something." Ecklie looked up, startled. Andrew had apparently been speaking.

"I'm sorry?"

"You were a million miles away just now."

"I was just thinking."

"About?"

"The case," Ecklie lied.

"Well, as I was saying, most guys like this, who are extremely clever, are also damnably arrogant. Which means that they slip up. I'm sure there will be something he says that we can find. We just have to know where to look."

"Can we talk about something else? I think I've heard enough about Jason Landers to last me into the next two lifetimes."

Andrew smiled sympathetically. "Certainly. What would you like to talk about?"

"The answer to life? What they really put in bologna? Why George W. Bush was re-elected? I don't care, just as long as it's not the case."

"42, no one knows, and secret brainwashing rays."

Despite himself, Ecklie smiled. "You've just killed a good thirty minutes of conversation."

"I was never good at small talk. Now I see why."

"The first day, when we met, when I'd come back the second time, you mentioned something. About us both being work-a-holics." Andrew looked at the man whose expression had suddenly gone serious. "How do you keep it up? When Gil and I were together, I thought maybe I'd finally found a better life. When it ended, I threw myself into work even more, except it wasn't the same. You seem a lot more well-adjusted than me. How do you do it?"

Andrew was silent, and Ecklie could tell he was considering what to say. Finally, he spoke: "I don't." He paused and looked into Ecklie's eyes. "I just hide it better."

He didn't have to explain what "it" was. They both knew.

Loneliness.

The rest of the dinner was spent in silence.

XxXxX

Andrew Brackett was troubled. It was ten o'clock at night, and he was preparing for bed, but he couldn't get one person out of his mind - Conrad Ecklie.

Their conversation earlier in the day had led to quite personal and dangerous waters. Andrew had been very close to just deflecting the conversation away, to something less personal, but one look in Conrad's eyes and he hadn't been able to. He'd never seen anyone look so defeated, so cynical and beaten, and yet still determined to go on, to succeed in finding what they wanted. It was an intriguing paradox, and Andrew felt himself mesmerized.

This was not good. Attorneys were not supposed to develop feelings for their clients. That had canon violation written all over it. No, he would ignore these thoughts and feelings and continue to be as professional as ever toward Conrad Ecklie.

It occurred to him that this would be easier said than done.

XxXxX

The cross-examination of Jason had gone rather well - much better than Ecklie had expected. Jason had slipped up a few times in his time line, and Andrew hadn't let it gone unnoticed. Tomorrow would be time for the defense's first witness. First they were going to impugn the fact that Jason really had social phobia, and then they had Catherine. After she testified, the two people who remembered that Jason had screwed up on the crime scene were going to testify. It wasn't as much as Jason had, in the way of witnesses, but it was enough to put some doubt in the jury. Conrad was going to testify, as well, but Andrew really wanted to find the person who had sold Jason his answers, to drive the point home that this man was really just a little boy who was used to getting away with everything he wanted.

"How'd you find him the first time?" Andrew asked Conrad when they were in Andrew's office, going over the transcript for that day for approximately the thirtieth time that day. It was nine o'clock.

"I talked to his ex-girlfriend. She was pissed off at him enough to give me the guy's number. I called it, acted like I wanted answers, met him, and found out the truth. The cell phone number was for a throw-away cell, though, and I promised the guy that I wouldn't have him arrested if he answered my questions. If only I hadn't been so nice." Ecklie frowned. "What came over me?"

Andrew smirked. "It's a little worrying, Conrad, when you're concerned about being lenient."

"I suppose." Ecklie still frowned.

Andrew rolled his eyes. "Come on, that's enough for today. Let's go grab something to eat. We should both get home." He glanced at the clock. "It's nine? When did that happen? Fast food it is, I guess."

"Wow, it is nine. We're going over a stupid civil trial. Shouldn't we be aware of every second that passes?"

"Usually."Andrew grinned. "Maybe it's just my sparkling personality."

"Maybe we just get along for some reason."

"Don't say it like it's such a horrible thing."

"I guess I'm not used to it."

"What, being around someone who enjoys your company? What do you _do_ to piss these people off?"

"In the beginning, I was a huge asshole. I hated Gil and wanted to ruin him. His team didn't appreciate that. I've mellowed some, but I still have to do my job, and sometimes people get annoyed with me. I don't care, though. It's not a big deal."

"You, my friend, are a liar." Andrew looked straight at Ecklie who glared at first, but then sighed.

"Stop that."

Andrew chuckled. "Come on, let's go."

They walked to their cars in companionable silence. Ecklie got in his car and tried to start it. "Oh, shit."

XxXxX

Andrew looked up. "Something wrong?"

"I think it's dead."

"Here, let me see." He leaned in over Ecklie and tried the ignition. Ecklie's breathing hitched at the proximity of the other man, and tried his best to not do something stupid. "Yeah, I think you're right. It's dead," Andrew said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just stressed, and this doesn't help," Ecklie lied.

"Well, I'll just drop you off at your place. We can grab food on the way, and you can call a tow in the morning. Is that okay?"

"Sure. Great, I get to take cabs to and from work for the next week." Ecklie sighed, getting out of his car and sliding in the passenger seat of Andrew's Acura.

"Well, I could certainly pick you up. We both have to be at the trial as soon as you get off work, anyway," Andrew commented.

"Are you sure?" Ecklie asked, startled. He wasn't used to random offers of kindness.

"Wow, you need more friends."

Ecklie smiled a little and looked down. "Yes, I suppose I do."

They had grabbed some fast food on the way to Ecklie's place, and Ecklie had invited Andrew in to eat, and after hesitating a second, Andrew accepted. They were sitting on Ecklie's couch eating fast food, and if they were sitting a bit too close, well, they weren't going to say anything about that.

"You've got a nice place."

"It's surprising, but I know how to decorate."

"Always a good surprise quality." Andrew noticed the shelf full of cookbooks in the kitchen. He raised an eyebrow. "You cook?" he asked, gesturing to the cookbooks.

Ecklie shrugged. "I can, but I don't do it a lot. I don't have much company and I don't see the point in cooking for myself."

"Saving yourself from fast food?"

"Not a good enough reason."

"It is for _me_. If I could cook half way decently, I would. As it is, I'd probably poison myself."

Ecklie grinned. "It's not that hard."

"What can you make?"

"What _can't_ you make?"

"I kill eggs, all right? The last time I tried making them... it wasn't pretty."

"You can't make _eggs_?" Ecklie stared in disbelief. "That's it, get up."

"What?"

"I'm showing you how to make eggs. That's _basic_."

"It's late, Conrad."

"It doesn't take that long."

Andrew sighed in defeat. "All right. Lead on, McDuff."

Ecklie rolled his eyes and stepped into the kitchen. Andrew followed.

XxXxX

It occurred to Andrew that about the time Conrad had ended up flush against the wall, himself pinning him there as they kissed passionately, something he hadn't expected had happened. Not that he minded. Not if Conrad kept kissing him like that, anyway. He didn't think he'd mind anything ever again if _that _never stopped.

When they broke apart for air, half a thought floated through Andrew's mind and it connected with another half a thought just as Conrad attacked his neck. It nearly went floating away at that, but he held onto it and his willpower. "Conrad, wait."

Conrad closed his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing involving you, trust me." Andrew breathed. "It's just, I'm your lawyer. We can't do this now. It violates one of the canons of ethics."

Conrad nodded, seemingly understanding. "Right, ethics. Sorry."

"Conrad, who's pinning whom, here?" Andrew asked, stepping back an inch. "You don't have anything to apologize for."

"After the trial?"

"After the trial," Andrew confirmed. _If I can hold onto my willpower that long_.

XxXxX

The experts had done their jobs, and so had Catherine. The two people who remembered the crime scene from last year had also helped tremendously. It was a week later, and Ecklie was the only defense witness who had yet to testify. They hadn't been able to find the man who sold Jason his answers, so they would have to do as best they could with what they had.

"Did you sexually harass Jason Landers at any point in time while he was under your employment?" Andrew asked him on direct examination.

"No," Ecklie replied.

"Why was he fired?"

"He contaminated two crime scenes. The first time, it was relatively minor so I let him off with a warning. When he nearly destroyed our case, the second time, I looked into his records and discovered that he'd been sold answers to his written proficiency. That's when I fired him."

"Thank you."

Then, James Redding, stood up and started cross examination. "Mr. Ecklie, are you, in fact, homosexual?"

Ecklie tried not to roll his eyes. "Yes, I am."

"And are you or are you not currently in a sexual relationship with your attorney?"

"Objection! Relevance?" Andrew called. "That should also be stricken from the record."

"Why? It's proof of the man's uncontrollable lifestyle. It's also a violation of ethics canons."

"Chambers, gentlemen," the judge said. She didn't look happy.

XxXxX

"Mr. Brackett, is what Mr. Redding asked true?"

"No," Andrew replied. "We-"

"Explain these, then, please." James Redding pulled out a bunch of pictures from his briefcase. They were all of Ecklie and Andrew kissing. Clearly, they'd had a private investigator following them.

"Mr. Brackett?" the judge asked sternly.

"That's as far as it's gone," Andrew replied, resigned. "It hasn't become sexual."

"Right. Do you think we're stupid?" Redding scoffed.

"I don't appreciate your sarcasm, Mr. Redding," the judge chastised. "However, this does not look good, for Mr. Ecklie or for yourself. It's not always the actual impropriety - merely the appearance of such."

"Then I'll take the heat. However, it does not affect this case. It's completely irrelevant," Andrew argued.

"He has a point, Mr. Redding. Unless you can explain to me how this ties in with Mr. Landers' alleged sexual harassment, I'll have to sustain the objection and strike this from the record."

"I understand, Your Honor." James Redding looked chastised, but Andrew could see he was pleased. He hadn't expected to be able to continue with it. He'd just wanted the jury to hear it. Bastard.

XxXxX

"Thanks to today, we need to find that man who sold the answers," Andrew told Conrad. The man had been unusually quiet since court. "I can ask for a continuance." When Conrad still hadn't said anything, Andrew replied, "You have some bad self-pity issues."

Conrad glared. "Gee, thanks."

"Well, it got you to talk."

Shaking his head, Conrad got up. "I always screw up and make things complicated."

Andrew raised an eyebrow and stood up as well. He walked closer to Conrad and grabbed a hold of his wrists. "You weren't alone in those pictures, if I remember, correctly." He pulled the man closer. "Stop moping."

Ecklie pulled away and snapped, "I _can't_. This is what I'm like, Andrew. I'm a self-righteous, bitter asshole with low self-esteem, self-pity, and other issues coming out of my ears. I'm not just going to magically _change_. If you can't understand this, maybe you shouldn't _bother_." Ecklie, looking decidedly miserable, stormed down the hallway and into his bedroom.

Andrew knew Ecklie needed some time to himself, but he didn't want to leave, either. He got an idea and smiled.

XxXxX

About half an hour later, Ecklie exited his bedroom, expecting Andrew to have left. What he encountered stopped him in his tracks.

Andrew was making eggs. Ecklie cringed. "Making" was a relative word. He looked like he was _killing_ them.

"Turn down the heat before you burn the house down," Ecklie told him, putting the heat on low. "And don't act like you're smashing them to pieces. You can be gentle, you know."

Andrew sighed. "I _told_ you I can't cook."

"So why _are_ you? I thought you'd have... left." Ecklie looked embarrassed, remembering his earlier outburst.

Andrew scoffed. "I'm a lawyer. We're stubborn. It takes a lot more than a few angry words to get rid of one of us."

Ecklie rolled his eyes. "I apologize. I wasn't the best of moods."

"Seriously? I hadn't noticed." Ecklie glared at him and he sighed. "I also have to apologize. I'm not always the most sensitive of people."

"Seriously? I hadn't noticed," Ecklie repeated wryly. Andrew laughed.

"We're both screwed up, work-a-holic smart asses. A match made in heaven."

"I think you mean hell."

"Maybe." Andrew grinned, leaning in to kiss Conrad.

"Isn't this how we got in trouble in the first place?" Ecklie asked after they broke apart.

"Yes, but now the cat's out of the bag, and they already think I've slept with you. If I'm going to get a reprimand for something, I want to have actually done it." He smirked evilly. "What do you say?"

"There are eggs-" Ecklie was cut off when Andrew turned off the fire under the eggs and kissed him again, more forcefully this time. When Ecklie found himself against the wall of the kitchen again, being kissed heatedly, he felt a strange case of deja vu.

He also forgot entirely about the eggs.

XxXxX

Gil Grissom wasn't a jealous man. He was genuinely happy when people he cared about were happy. And although not many people knew it, he did care about Conrad Ecklie.

Unfortunately, his "no jealousy" rule was somehow being broken.

It's not that he thought he and Conrad could ever work out again, but the man was obviously changed. Gil could tell. The rumors he'd studiously ignored were obviously true: Conrad Ecklie and Andrew Brackett were involved.

He also knew that the trial was not going well for them because of that fact. Knowing what he had to do, Gil Grissom picked up his phone, and dialed a number. He wasn't going to let his jealousy get in the way of what had to be done.

XxXxX

"Are the rumors true?" Nick asked Greg that Friday morning, before they were heading in from their shifts. "Are Ecklie and his lawyer... uh..."

"Sleeping together?" Greg finished and Nick nodded. "I don't know. I haven't talked to Andrew in awhile. Ecklie seems happier though, so maybe."

Nick shook his head. "Ecklie having a love life? That's freaky, man."

"A little." Greg shrugged. "I don't want to dwell on it, but I guess if he's happy, that's good, right?" Greg paused. "Maybe he'll be even _more_ lenient!"

"I don't think even sex could loosen Ecklie up that much." Nick shuddered. "Why did I say that? I don't know. Let's change the subject."

Greg chuckled.

XxXxX

It was two-thirty p.m. on Friday when Ecklie got the phone call. It was Andrew.

"Conrad, I've got good news."

"You just saved a bunch of money on your car insurance by switching to Geico?"

"Don't make me hang up on you."

"Fine, fine, what is it?"

"I've found the man who sold Jason his answers."

"You found him? How? What?"

"He called me."

"_He_ contacted _you_?"

"Yeah, said he'd heard about the trial and wanted to do the right thing."

"Uh huh. Wow, a noble cheater. How novel." Ecklie chuckled.

"So we'll be back to court on Monday."

"Yeah, Monday, then. We might actually win, with him."

"Are you turning into an optimist on me?"

Ecklie rolled his eyes. "No, I am not becoming optimistic. I'm merely stating..."

He was interrupted. "I think you're becoming an optimist. Look at the evidence - you jumped to a positive conclusion based on a fact. That's optimism, my friend."

"Yeah, yeah, shut up."

"I'll pick you up around four-thirty. Is that okay?"

"You're picking me up? You don't have to, I can take a..."

He was interrupted again. "Conrad, I'm not going to make you waste your money on a cab. You're going to be spending enough having your _own_ car fixed. I'll be there at four-thirty."

Ecklie sighed. "Fine, fine. I don't know why I bother arguing with a lawyer, anyway."

"You're masochistic."

"You'd enjoy that too much."

"I'm not that kinky, Conrad."

Ecklie fought of a blush. "Andrew! I'm at _work_," he hissed.

"Going to be thinking about me for the rest of the time you're working? How sweet, Conrad."

"I'm going to kill you."

"People who work with law enforcement shouldn't threaten death, least of all to an officer of the court."

"Going to turn me in?"

"I'd rather have my wicked way with you."

"Hanging up now."

"Good bye, Conrad."

Ecklie hung up the phone and shook his head. Andrew affected him far too easily. He smiled and shook his head as he realized he didn't mind.

XxXxX

On Monday, it was obvious from the way James Redding and Jason Landers reacted to Thomas Smith - the man who'd sold Jason his answers - being put on the stand that they hadn't expected him to be found at all. The cross-examination was weak and Ecklie could tell that the jury definitely believed Smith. This could have been the thing they needed to tip the decision in their favor.

However, Ecklie was curious as to why the man had suddenly come forward. He decided to do a little digging.

When he found out that one of the Las Vegas detectives had done some searching, he asked him about it. That's when he was pointed to one Dr. Gil Grissom. Ecklie should have known.

XxXxX

"Thanks, Gil," he told the man, the next morning, stepping into his office and shutting the door. "You probably just saved our case."

Grissom looked up, surprised, and Ecklie smiled wryly. "You didn't think I wouldn't find out? You have to admit it's pretty convenient that the man we'd been looking for suddenly showed up out of nowhere and offered to testify. There had to be someone behind it."

_We'd_. The way he'd said that, so casual, it was rather heartbreaking. "I was glad to help."

"We appreciate it."

"You and Andrew."

Ecklie paused. "Yes, that would be 'we.'"

"So the rumors are true."

"Yes."

Grissom nodded. "I thought so. Congratulations." It wasn't precisely empty, Grissom knew. It just didn't hold the excitement it ought to.

Ecklie understood and nodded. "Thanks." He left.

Grissom went back to his paper work.

XxXxX

"The jury has to deliberate, now," Andrew told Ecklie that evening, when they were at Ecklie's home again. They were on the couch, close, and Ecklie was in Andrew's embrace. "They should probably decided within the week."

"This is going to be hell on my nerves."

"That's why you have me to distract you."

Ecklie rolled his eyes. "You know who got Thomas Smith to come forward? Gil did. He made a call and asked for a favor. One of our detectives hunted him down."

"Really?" Andrew looked surprised for a moment, then thoughtful. "He knows you're innocent. He probably just wanted to help."

"I'm not used to having people care."

"All right. You have got to get over this low self-esteem. What's wrong, Conrad? Why can't you ever accept the fact that there might just be one or two people out there who give a damn?"

Ecklie was quiet for a moment, considering what to say. "I didn't have the best home life." He looked down, ashamed. "My father was abusive. My mom was in denial. It didn't do wonders for my development. I've never been good at letting people in or accepting help, because of it. I mean, if you're alone, no one else can hurt you, right?"

Andrew sighed, squeezing the man closer. He didn't say anything.

He didn't have to.

XxXxX

"We find in favor of the defense."

Conrad Ecklie thought those were perhaps his seven favorite words, when he heard them on Friday afternoon. Jason looked pissed, and his lawyer even more so. It filled him with an immense satisfaction, which he didn't feel guilty about in the least.

However, as he and Andrew exited the court, something nagged at Conrad. How had Jason known he was gay? He wanted to find out.

Walking up to the man, Andrew looked at him curiously. "How did you find out about my sexual orientation? That's something I haven't been able to figure out." Ecklie saw Jason's lawyer about to speak, but he cut him off. "Cut the bullshit. We all know I didn't sexually harass him. I just want to know how he found out."

Jason rolled his eyes. "You and that Gil guy were pretty disgustingly obvious. All it took was me driving by your house to figure it out. You should have been more subtle."

"Why? You didn't gain anything from it," Ecklie said, raising a haughty eyebrow.

"I had you worried."

"Maybe," Ecklie conceded. "But you still lost. And that's the end of it. Good day."

He and Andrew left.

XxXxX

Now that the trial was officially over, Andrew took Conrad out to celebrate their victory. It was a nice restaurant. They had a good time, got pleasantly tipsy, and headed to Ecklie's home to finish off the wonderful evening.

They locked the doors, unplugged the phone, turned off the cell phones, and turned off the lights.

They both agreed that "dessert" was the best part of the evening.

XxXxX

When Ecklie woke up the next morning to the smell of eggs and bacon, he was worried. Clearly someone had broken into his house in the middle of night, because there was no way that those lovely smells were because of Andrew.

Yet they were.

"You can't cook?" Ecklie asked, sleepily, walking into the kitchen.

"No, but I had a good teacher." He grinned. "The cookbook."

"Funny."

"I thought you'd appreciate that."

And as Andrew served them both breakfast, Ecklie realized that five weeks ago, if someone had told him that this lawsuit would be the best thing to ever happen to him, he'd have laughed in their face.

As it was, he knew now that it was the truth.

It wouldn't be easy, because neither Conrad Ecklie nor Andrew Brackett were easy men on their own right, but it'd be possible, and Conrad knew it was worth it.

He smiled to himself. Andrew was right. He _was_ turning into an optimist. Conrad didn't think he had to mention that. Andrew would never let it go if he did. Besides, he already knew.

And when Andrew smiled at him again over breakfast, Conrad finally allowed himself to hope.

- End


End file.
